A new poll conducted by the Democratically affiliated firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows troubling numbers for Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign. Ensign, who would be seeking his third Senate term in 2012, currently trails Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman in one hypothetical matchup by 10 percent and also runs slightly behind three other potential Democratic challengers.

Ensign's approval rating stands at a mere 35 percent among Nevada voters, according to the PPP poll, and it is at a dismal 22 percent among independents. Only 26 percent of those polled said that they wanted to see their state's junior senator re-elected.

Among Nevada Republicans, only 42 percent want Ensign to run for re-election, while 48 percent want him to give up his seat.

The PPP poll was conducted among 932 Nevada voters between January 3 and January 5 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.

Ensign's seat could represent a valuable pickup opportunity for Democrats, who are thought to have a particularly challenging outlook in the Senate in 2012, since they are slated to have to defend 21 of their own seats plus two independents who caucus with them, while only 10 Republican seats will be up that year.

Ensign became mired in scandal in 2009 after he admitted to an affair with the wife of a top aide and fell under investigation before he announced in December that the Justice Department would not press criminal charges against him.

According to PPP, Republicans would have a much stronger chance of holding onto Ensign's seat if they were to nominate Nevada Rep. Dean Heller, who led four potential Democratic opponents in matchups that PPP tested in its survey.

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